I am propbably going to be there during this period so if you want to meet for a beer private message me.
Happy C
Printable View
I am propbably going to be there during this period so if you want to meet for a beer private message me.
Happy C
Jman,
Thanks for the information.
I've been wanting to visit Columbia for some time now. I'm on the fence now, but will probably check it out in November, when the weather down there is nicer and the FARC violence subsides.
Thanks to all the posters, as well.
Yoss
adultj-
With all due respect to you, there is A LOT of sex information in the 45 pages of this thread. READ IT and most of the information is still accurate.
We need to include safety information for our Mongering Brothers, don't we? Or would you prefer someone getting hurt?
$Bill
HarryDho,
You are right about some of the women not always being as they seem. It took me about 3-4 months of living in Cali to figure it out, but Colombian women are some of the best con artists on earth!!! I love them, but I have met some that will lead you on like you wouldn't believe just to get a free frisky chicken dinner out of you.
That's one thing you have to respect about the girls back in the States, they either like you or they don’t. They have their own money and aren't going to BS you and waste their time on you just so you will take them to Chipi-Chapi and buy them a pair of shoes. With many of the girls down here it’s the exact opposite.
I love to read the reports of the guys that come down and are spending all of this money left and right on all the girls, taking them dancing, drinking, shopping, out to Restaurants, etc etc. and then hear them gloat "I had so many 10's calling me and wanting to see me and have sex with me that I couldn't even see them all blah blah blah" REALLY? Geez I wonder why? Could it be that a lot of these girls don’t have a nickel, and would go out with the Elephant man in order to have something to do?NGO!
The guys that take the *****s out for all of the above and think they are their girlfriends are even delusional.
I can understand this because the same thing happened to me when I came down. I was going out every night with a different girl, blowing all this coin on the girls, and had more girls calling my apartment then I know what to do with, and since I was used to dating back in the States I really thought all of these girls were in love with me!!! Girls in the States don’t call you or want to see you or go out with you unless they really are interested. Here, it’s a whole different ball game, and after living a few months you start to understand it.
Well a least I'm glad that the subject of safety was brought up, I've always been aware of how truly dangerous colombia can be if your not aware of whats really happening. One thing that you have to be aware of is that there are FARC in every aspect of colombian life, in the country side, in the city, taxi driver, professor, banker, you name it. I'm not trying to scare anyboby just making people aware of your surrounding. I lived in cali for about 10 months and been visiting since 1998 till present. Enjoy when you go just be careful, talk to the locals they can be a great asset when it come to safety, somebody like antifreeze and other guys that have been in cali for a while.
I don't want to overblow the issue again about ATMs (I know some people think it's been overkilled) but things changed since then.
1) ServiBanca is now down again to 300 000 (useless).
2) The only one that provides more than that is Bancolombia (choose the other amounts when asked, and it allow 400 000 as a maximum).
Let's continue and leave banks rob our money and treat us as we're completely clueless. I truly hate banks. Howcome they allow us to do up to 3 withdrawls of 400 000, one after the other (and charge us $3 USD each time) and then tell us that lower limit is to help keep an inventory of their $$$ in the ATMs. BS! I need to find a way out of that scam. Working on it!
Freeze
Anitifreeze,
You leave me clueless. I'm really at a loss to understand your report.
In a previous report (with evidence attached) I already stated that withdrawals of up to COL$ 2000K were possible WITHIN the bank!
If you need more than that amount (unwise, unless you're you REALLY need the dough now and then, but then again no need to tell this to a Cali veteran) make your withdrawals AT THE COUNTER of different banks. Just DON'T USE the ATMs.
Antifreeze
Just so we all get this right, ServiBanca is now down again to 300 000. WOW
And. The only one that provides more than that is Bancolombia. Wow.
Keep us posted.
One shouldn't ruin this board by discussing useless topics like chicks and stuff!
Thanks
PanamaJack
Dear friend, I will get Colombia the next month.
I have a week only for having fun.
Can you tell me if it is easier to find a beatiful girl friend in Cali or Medellin (not prostitute for a week)?
What town do you like more?
Thanks
Chorizo: Since your apparent reason for reading the boartd is to be titliated, why not buy a Playboy or Penthouse forum or something?
El Culion: I agree you are "clueless", but I disagree that it is Antifreeze's fault. You seem to have GREAT difficulty grasping the concept freeze is trying to explain, namely, how to get cash in Colombia while minimizing bank fees. Your suggestion "just go in the lobby . . ." is indicative of your ignorance of the critical fact that such a transaction would result in getting the INDIVIDUAL foreign exchange rate, as opposed to the ATM exchange rate which is AT LEAST 5% higher. If you want to give your money to banks, PLEASE do (means you'll spend less days in Colombia!!!!), but don't flame freeze for trying to help those with more intelligence than money to waste. Also, I recall you startying this whole ATM topic by making FALSE statements about being able to make large withdrawals . . . .
To everybody ELSE: DO take EVERYTHING you read on this board with more than a grain of salt as there are MANY here who know little, yet purport to be experts. On EVERYTHING from El Culion's misinformation about ATM limits and bank fees, to Saint's "opinion" that Cali is no more dangerous than any other city, use your own COMMON SENSE before relying on ANYTHING written on this board.
Surfer,
I have plenty of stuff to read and laugh about (primarily your worthless posts). I especially like the Cartagena posts where someone called you a pompous ass (nothing could be more true). Speaking of “know-it-all-pricks” I guess you would be the authority on that particular issue. Case in point, EL CULION mentioned in his posts that it is better to do one in branch transaction rather than several ATM transactions. Well I don’t know for sure but, every country I’ve ever traveled to will give you the same exchange rate whether you use the ATM or their in branch services. Furthermore, it would seem to make more sense that it would be cheaper to take the hit on one in branch transaction rather than get nailed each time you use the ATM (I’m no math wiz).
I’m tired of reading about this ATM crap. Ultimately this only affects Antifreeze because, he lives there. As for the rest of us, well if the ATM charges are going to cause us to cut our trip short then perhaps, going on a trip was a mistake.
Chorizo "EL REY DE CALI"
foxeshunter,
I absolutely love cali for "las Caleñas", don't really know medellin that well, been across paisas her in panama, both of this places have beautiful girls you can't really go wrong. Anyway I'm really not a monger per say, but I think now that I'm getting a divorce from my caleña, I'm going to have much more time on my hands to do whatever the hell I want without someboby breeding down my back. Oh I forgot to tell you, if you want non-pro learn some spanish it would help, good luck.
Surfer,
Firstly: it was never my intention to flame Antifreeze. I was just mentioning MY personal experience.
Secondly: the one who's offensive is YOU, using words and phrases like "difficulty grasping", "ignorance", "more intelligence than money to waste" etc. Makes you feel quite an erudite chap, doesn't it? Thinking that the only truth is your truth notwithstanding the experience of others.
Thirdly: I pay the SAME RATE and the SAME CHARGES for either ATM or over-the-counter withdrawals. I use a European Visa card and therefore can't account for this (American?) practice of different rates, assuming that it is TRUE(??) what you state. I've never been charged ANYTHING by Colombian banks for making withdrawals.
Fourthly: It was not ME who started this thread. My initial comment to this topic was a reaction to YOUR post of 05-05-04.
Fifthly: I've NEVER claimed to be an expert on ANYTHING. I've been travelling to Cali since 1992, my novia is Caleña and I visit Colombia at least twice a year but have never claimed to be any expert.
Discussion closed!
[blue]Hi,
This is just a suggestion, so please don't take it the wrong way.
I appreciate the details in your report, but I know from experience that a lot of people find it easier to read a report if the paragraphs are separated by a single blank line.
I know how this happens: You're banging away at the keyboard, putting your thoughts into the report as fast as you can write them. However, if you could hit the return key TWICE at the end of each paragraph, your report would be much easier to read, which would certainly be appreciated by your fellow Forum Members.
Thanks,
[i]Jackson[/i][/blue]
Chorizo,
<One shouldn't ruin this board by discussing useless topics like chicks and stuff!>
I am surprised that, with your social skills being so well developed, a girl would even spend any time talking with you. I hope, for your own good, that you do not speak Spanish if you come to Colombia. That way, maybe you'll have a day or two more of wetting your pants in front of a girl that will shortly figure out how stupid and empty you are. If you're lucky, maybe she'll be herself stupid enough to fall in love with your passport or money. You'll then have found your soul mate.
Chorizo: You are the lowest within the lowests. Keep on diggin...
Hey Antifreeze,
I can understand that the bank fees are a real issue to you as you live in Colombia and have stated that you spend around $150 a month in bank fees. But it seems to me that if you are spending that much it would be worth your while to either open a local account or take a trip and transfer your money into a bank that has their own ATM's there, like CitiBank for example. It would seem that either of these alternatives would solve your problem.
The banks are providing a service, allowing you to withdraw funds in a foriegn country and outside of their network. This means that you don't have to carry a wad of cash with you when you travel. They are obviously not going to provide this service for free. Further, considering the average income in Colombia the 200k and 400k amounts probably satisfy the majority of their customers.
SURFER you are a POMPOUS ASS. The sole purpose of all of your reports is to simply insult someone and point out how brilliant you think you are, you share no actual information with anyone. After I responded to one of your posts in another section, I was PM'ed by several members that told me your first trip to Colombia was March 2003 and that prior to that trip you asked for info from all of them and then came back and declared yourself a Colombia expert. It seems to me that the last paragraph of your last post may well be autobiographical.
Now I am not an expert in Colombian banking, but here in Mexico the exchange rate posted on the window in the bank is the rate you get at the teller or at the ATM. Further, if you withdraw money from the ATM in a foriegn country in addition to the ATM charge you will pay a foriegn currency conversion fee. So in all likelihood using the ATM will cost you more than the alleged 5% you are losing by going to the teller. Before you go around accusing others of being ignorant maybe you should waste some of your impressive intelligence and obtain some facts. Finally, if a $3.00 ATM fee is going to cause you to cut your trip short, then maybe you shouldn't have taken the trip.